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Chalgyr's Game Room Staff

Odds are, if you came to this site - you are a gamer. Guess what? So are we.

The team here at Chalgyr's Game Room has a variety of experiences ranging over different generations and console types and we are passionate about our favorite hobby. In the process, we have come to form some strong opinions about specific games, developers and the industry in general. We love a good discussion and know that opinions vary wildly, just as do tastes in games. We respect this, and we want to have more conversations with you.

Our reviews generally come in two flavors: in-depth with broken down technical scores and the somewhat shorter writeup with a general impression and score at the end of the article. You will see more of the former than the later, but there are plenty of both to be found here. We have a wide variety of articles as well, and we are always looking for more ideas - so share away!

Now - we would like to introduce ourselves:

Nick
Editor in Chief

I am a pretty old hand at this. My first console was a TI99/4a I got for Christmas when I was about four. The games were generally Atari knockoffs (Munch-Man, TI Invaders... you get the idea), but I was hooked from day one. I do not have a favorite console, because I focus on the games I like - not what system it plays on. I have always felt that a good game is a good game regardless of whatever I wound up playing it on my SNES or Sega Genesis. Having studied journalism in college, the melding of video games and writing have turned out to be a natural combination for me and I have been using the online moniker of Chalgyr since the 90's. Hence: Chalgyr's Game Room. Where it's all about the games.

You can find me on Xbox Live, PSN and Steam under Chalgyr. Feel free to email me at Nick@Chalgyr.com with questions about the site.

Robert
Editor and PR Coordinator

Unfortunately my parents didn't gift me with the name 't1ckles' so, instead, they saddled me with one of the most plain names out there, 'Robert.' Feel free to address me by either Robert or t1ckles, I'll answer to both.

I've been playing video games since the original Nintendo Entertainment System came out back in '85 here in the States; starting on Duck Hunt, Super Mario Brothers, Gyromite and Excite Bike. Come to think of it, those few games were the only ones we had for a few years. Since that first digital 'boop' and 'beep' I was hooked. I've pretty much owned multiples of the mainstream systems since then and enjoyed spending many hours of both my youth and my adult life juggling between my love of video games, miniature painting, and anime. While I've always been an avid fan of consoles, when Warcraft: Orcs & Humans came out I was an instant convert to the wonderful world of PC Gaming, since then, I've never been far from my gaming rigs.

Pierre-Yves
Site Administrator and Manager

I've been playing video games for a long time now but you never quite forget that first time(s) that you play a style. I'm pretty sure that if I had started with Super Mario Bros. on the NES I may have ended up gaming less. At the time the incredible platformer was lost on me. Instead I started off with Ninja Turtles. From there on in I was hooked on games. I grew up playing amazing titles like those and Mega Man and then Mega Man X (I may or may not prefer Bass(Forte) / Zero to the titular heroes) and it wasn't until I was into my early teens that I discovered RPGs.

My first RPG was FF IV and I fell in love with that style until coming across FF Tactics and Kartia - Word of Fate. It was then, at that glorious moment in time that I found my game type. I hadn't even heard of Atlus or NIS yet and oh boy have I had an amazing time since. I'm a very heavy RPG / JRPG / SRPG player regardless of it being mainstream, niche, or indie while still loving and enjoying platformers. Especially the RPG element ones!

Feel free to email me if you see anything about the site or have ideas for improvement at: WrathOf314@gmail.com

Susan N.
News Editor

Having played on the old Atari, TI-81, Commodore 64, and then progressing into some Basic programming, I've been around the block. Some of the classic games that I loved were Loderunner, Montezuma's Revenge, and Spiderman (one on the old Atari). When we owned a Nintendo, my brother and I played classics like Super Mario Bros 1 & 3 and Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles (not the fighting game one... The one with the annoying underwater computers where the seaweed killed you if you blinked wrong). Eventually I became addicted to things like Stunts, Final Fantasy 7 & 8, Descent, and Gran Turismo.

Though I started out my gaming career on consoles, I rarely ever owned one. Essentially, I always grew up more of a PC gamer since we each had one in my house. I had at one point became a WoW addict and finally gave that up when life became more complicated.

Becoming a writer was the best thing for me in terms of being a gamer. Playing video games and writing about them has been the most rewarding experience. For me, it's allowed me to talk to the gaming community freely and honestly. I love gaming. Pure and simple.

I'm working on a book about gaming careers so if you want to contribute or don't mind being questioned about a particular profession, let me know in an email Jagtress@hotmail.com. Otherwise feel free to follow me on social media @Jagtress (twitter and twitch), SusanNWriter (FB), therealjagtress (instagram).

Contibutors

Breanna

Unlike the rest of the reviewers on this site I didn't play a lot of games growing up so I can't name drop a lot of nostalgic titles. My family owned a farm so there wasn't a lot of down time. That, and a 45 kbph dial-up internet right up until college made anything with the internet a bit of a pain. Now I play almost as much as my ex-Player 1, Pierre-Yves.

The first console I owned was a used NES given to us by a friend. You had to smack that thing in just the right place and wiggle the cords to get it working (ah memories). I won my first PS1 from Pizza Hut and fell in love with the old Spyro series. Later I got a PS2 and learned to "drive" with Grand Turismo. I conquered the world numerous times with the various iterations of the Civilization series and played God with the Sims. I'm almost ashamed to admit the hours I sunk into World of Warcraft while in college.

Now my gaming tastes are the same as my music - it ranges from "this is awesome you have to get it" to "I know, please don't judge me". I love games that make you think, test you, and let you go your own way. I've sunk hours into Skyrim and I'm pretty sure I've died every way possible in Don't Starve. I find I often get bored with games where I have to do the same thing over and over again. That being said, I'm a cold blooded killer of hordes on any Diablo or Warriors game.

I never know what will strike my fancy, and even if I don't personally like it, I can see the values of certain styles or looks and I love to try new things.

Chris H.

I've been playing video games since I was real young, starting with the 64 from what I can remember. I have been hardcore on the Nintendo systems all my life, playing every console to a good length - even though I am really not all that old and most of them were before my time. I've always had a fascination with retro games, I can't even think of a specific reason, that's just the way it is for me. I still manage to play a fair amount of games to this day, although that has diminished somewhat of late due to time constraints. I usually play more action-oriented games (Shooters, fighters, etc.) but I will give almost anything a fair try.

My steam is Reposer, and my PSN/X-Box are Devinoste.

Christopher I.

I started off gaming on the Atari 2600 when I was a mere three years of age way back in 1985. Ah, the good ole mid-'80's: Spandex, neon clothes, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith and hardcore Nintendo games that forced you into rage induced controller throwing fits. Thank goodness those rectangular NES controllers were practically indestructible.

After writing for the gaming industry for several years I took a break and quickly found myself strapping into a new gaming genre niche: hardcore racing simulators. From the likes of Race 07 to Dirt Rally, the overwhelming majority of my gaming time is spent tweaking car setups and burning digital rubber in PC sims. Sim racing blurs the lines of gaming and reality - granting players real world knowledge of car physics and driving skills - and I'm planning to take my learned digital skills to the NOLA Motorsports Park and grip the wheel of a Ferrari 458 to find out if the simulators indeed offer live track value to its players.

Steam: Slapshot82

Dimitris

My first experience of games was through an Amstrad cpc 6128. This was an 8-bit home computer well-known in Europe during the eighties, including my country, Greece. Its technology was not impressive and its games were hard but I really miss those days.

At the beginning of the nineties I spent a small fortune on arcades Street Fighter 2, NBA Jam and Tower of Doom. I bought a SNES when it was already old but cannot forget the creepy atmosphere of Metroid, the non-stop action of Contra and the ingenius level design of Zelda. Later I acquired a PS, my first 3-d machine. In 2001 I bought a PS2, one of the greatest consoles ever. The variety and quantity of good games on this machine is awesome. Action/adventure, beat'em up, shooter, platform, role playing, action/role playing, racing, sports... I also have a PC and an X-BOX. Hiding in the shadows of Thief 3, facing monsters with an elf monk in Neverwinter Nights or exploring the deadly wastelands in Fallout are some of my favorite memories.

I enjoy old games because they are simple, have different drawing styles and trigger my imagination. I have a big collection so I don't need to buy new stuff for a long time. If you think quality doesn't exist only in modern things check my reviews.

Hamza

Though my first pixel memories were made on the original PlayStation, the most vivid from my childhood belong to those on the PC. My dad used to bring home PC Gamer PC World magazines - the ones with free games stamped on the back of it. This is how I became a dedicated PC gamer, playing Half-Life, Deus Ex, Sacrifice, Black & White and SimCity 2000 in my youth. I also remember exchanging the original Prince of Persia from my friends on a floppy disk!! Yes, you read that right, floppy disk!!

Regardless of my status as a dedicated PC (and MS-DOS) gamer, I'm more than happy to break the tradition when it comes to racing games. I absolutely love racing games and it is my aim to play every racing game in existence, irrespective of the platform. To give an example of my passion for the genre, I'm perhaps one of the handful who ever owned a PS1 to have also played International Moto X. If you know of the game, then I've found a new best friend :)

Oddities and obscure titles are my forte. I excel in them, my knowledge on them just enough to make the hair on your head (if any) curl. Unearthing hidden gems is one of the few reasons I exist on the internet for, scrounging the darkest corners and deepest chasms. Some of the best discoveries I've made include Garage: Bad Dream Adventure, Roboman, Warlords and my absolute favorite in car destruction, Auxiliary Power's Destruction Derby.

Please feel free to add me on Steam - my username is Katy Roar. You can also add me on XBLA - MechaHorde is my username - but don't expect a fast reply or updates, as I rarely do them. Looking forward to discussing games and hearing your opinions.

Jedediah

It's Christmas morning. Afflicted with spiked bedhead from sleeping on my face, I tiptoe from my room to the family area, excited, eyes free from any form of adolescent drowsiness. I reach my brother's doorway. Scared that he'll l scold me for entering his personal space uninvited, I stand with my back to the wall, terrified that even a peek will be greeted with a bop on the bedhead.

But I can't hold back my excitement, so, placing my palms over my head so as to create a makeshift helmet that deflects fire swords and any form of incoming head bops, I leap into the illuminated archway that separates his personal bastion from the darkness of the family room. To my childish surprise, my head remains bop-less. My brother is too entranced by his television to detect the thud of my feet.

Then I see her, relaxing proudly atop the box she had been patiently concealed in for the past several months: the Super Nintendo Entertainment System showcasing the most beautiful game I had ever seen, Final Fantasy II.

A current of fantastical colors and music forces my body into a celestial dance.

My body begins to glow with the compassion a star feels for its planets.

Then my head explodes.

This was the second I fell in love with gaming, and, a bit later, reading, and writing (largely thanks to FF II encouraging me, at five years old, to hone my literacy so that I could better understand its narrative). This was the second I had to become one with the game.

Jeff

My first console was a classic: the Atari 2600. After that, I've mostly stuck to Nintendo and Microsoft consoles, with pit stops at the Dreamcast and PS2. I've dabbled with the PC on and off over the years but generally stick to consoles. I prefer to play single player games or games with local co-op, but will jump online from time-to-time on Xbox Live. I'll play most genres (except dancing games...ugh), but typically stick to the popular franchises.

As a father of four boys, I've reached a strange point in my life where I'm not the one in the house logging the most screen time any more. I'm also lucky to have a wife who will occasionally play (she's into Bioware games, Elder Scrolls, and BioShock). My time is also being split by a growing love of board games, so a game has to be great for me to play it more than one time through. Yeah, MMOs are probably not gonna happen.

My Xbox Live gamertag, Hrolf29, is named after my Diablo II dual-wielding, ram-skull-wearing, blood-potion-making barbarian. Most of the electronics in my house are named after Dragon Age or Mass Effect characters. And I'm pretty sure my wife still loves Alistair more than she loves me.

Lauren

If you count Mario Paint, I've been gaming since I was about 6 years old. Then, after failing miserably at Mario Bros, I took a 9 year hiatus and only observed from the sidelines. If it wasn't for a friend (now my brother-in-law) showing me Ocarina of Time in high school I may never have picked up a controller again. Shortly thereafter, my brother reintroduced me to the joy that is Nintendo (64 and GameCube) and got me hooked. We played hundreds of hours of Mario Kart (where I mastered the art of blue shells) Super Smash Bros (where I excelled at button-mashing my way to occasional victory) and Need for Speed (where we smashed SUV's into traffic while trying not to wake the parents at 3am).

The first console I owned was a PS2 and the first game I finished (with PY beating all the bosses for me when he wasn't literally sleeping and dodging all the lightning blasts in Final Fantasy X for me) was Kingdom Hearts. Over the years I have played a little on just about every console and can honestly say I don't have a preference. I like something about all of them.

Marc H.

My story begins in 1987, when my parents bought me an NES for Easter. I was 2 at the time, but to say that I was hooked would be an understatement. Not only did I live through the Nintendomania craze, I breathed it in and embraced it. A longtime reader of Nintendo Power, I have read every issue from their first to their last, have owned every Nintendo and Sony platform released in North America, and like to fool myself into thinking I can hold an objective and unbiased stance. All of that goes out the window if anything Metroid comes on the horizon though, which will elicit a high pitched 'Eee' from me that will put most fangirls to shame.

I avoid sports games like the plague, with the exception of interesting crossovers like Mega Man Soccer or Mario Golf, and while I am not bad at them, first person shooters tend not to engage me on any level unless there is some sort of experience progression system. Instead, I tend to fall for games that fall into the action, adventure, beat 'em up, defense, fighting, MMO, platformer, puzzle, rail shooter, rhythm, roguelike, RPG, run 'n gun, SRPG, strategy, and TPS genres. All of my favourite games have some sort of grindable element to them and it's not unheard of for me to sink 300+ hours into a Disgaea title before even considering leaving chapter 3.

Finally, a terrifying fact about myself! If I played and beat a new game from my collection every single week, and didn't replay old games, it would be approximately 3.5 years before I ran out of games to play, not counting picking up new titles in that time. www.backloggery.com/zylvyn if you don't believe me.

Marc L.

I have been playing games since I was around 3 years old. I started off with the old NES, not really good at anything until later, I often watched my brother Pierre-Yves, or my dad playing things ranging from Mario (My dad) to Megaman/Final Fantasy (Pierre-Yves).

As I grew up I still loved playing on any system, but once I was introduced to the online world it really struck my fancy, starting with Diablo 2, I fell in love with online multiplayer games. Later on I found a love for the FPS genre, and have on and off over the next 10 years or so been playing games such as counter-strike enough to join a semi-pro team for a while during high school. I honestly don't tend to have a preference anymore, but I do tend to lean towards games with some sort of online content. I have had many names when I was younger as a gamertag, but as I got older it basicly landed on Frosty, Froztea, Frostizzil…there may be a theme here.

Anything from FPS to RPG/MMORPG to action RPGS to card games, lately rocket league, H1Z1 and now Zelda BoTW taking up most of my time. But if something offers me a challenge and I enjoy its style…I will not back down. Darksouls/Bloodborne, Rogue legacy, I seem to be a bit of a masochist part to my gaming style, and I can't get enough of it.

Mylène

I've been into gaming for as long as I can remember. Literally; my earliest memory is one of tiny me receiving a Gameboy console with no game and being fascinated by the little red light and noise it made when I turned it on.

Of course I did get games to play with soon after… and thus began my journey into the lovely world of videogames.

I always was a fan of the Nintendo consoles, which I still find so innovative. Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda, Jet Force Gemini, Goldeneye, Soulcalibur and Resident Evil 4 were part of my daily life.

Fast forward to the present day, and I currently own pretty much every console I can think of, and a lovely Steam account, but my PS4 and Switch hold a special place in my heart.

I love RPGs, anything sci-fi and action packed, as well as fantasy and strategy games, which probably serves as creative fuel for the tabletop games I run. (Hurray for D&D!) I also really enjoy dark, bloody and gritty games, but tend to be more of a spectator. I just can't get enough…

I have lately been getting back into the online gaming, which has been time consuming, but oh so fun!

Piece of advice: If you see a girl called Jynx online that enjoys fire and burning things down a bit too much, it's probably best to avoid her and her pyromaniac tendencies.

You can also find me on PSN going by Nimiko1.

Natasha

I started getting into video games when I was just 4 years old. My brother had to babysit me often so I was always in his room, watching him play games. I remember watching him play The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on the SNES. Having no ability to read at that time, I focused on him playing around as a tiny green elf. Fascinated, I snuck into his room constantly to fool around as said green elf.

Eventually as I got older, and educated in the english language, I started owning systems of my own. Starting from the Play Station and Nintendo 64, jump 20 years into the future, to the Play Station 4 and the Nintendo Switch.

I play a variety of games, but mainly obsess over RPG's. My top three being Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy and Zelda (yes I know its and action\adventure, shhh)

I'm also a collector in consoles and games. Wether it be old or new I'm always on the hunt for something gamy.

I hope to continue my wondrous hobby for years to come.

Richard

I've been playing video games since I was little. The first games I ever played were on a GameBoy pocket. I still own it, and break it out every so often, even though the "light scaler" basically only has two settings: white and black. My first console experience was an n64. I was first introduced to it when I visited my Aunt and uncle's cottage. The neighbors were around my age, and they invited me over to play. I'll never forget the amount of Mario kart we played. I went from being a scrub to being "that arse who always comes in first". It wasn't long before I had an n64 of my own.

Nowadays I spend most of my free time gaming, primarily RPGs. The games I play range anywhere from: "Hey! That's that new popular game that just came out!" to "I haven't even heard of that company, much less that game".

Feel free to hit me up on the PSN as Exzerioth (with the terse chou-chou avatar)

S.M. Carrière

When S.M. Carrière isn't brutally killing your favorite characters, she spends her time teaching martial arts, live streaming video games, and cuddling her cats. In other words, she spends her time teaching others to kill, streaming her digital kills, and cuddling furry murderers.

You can find her streaming weekly on Wednesday nights as of 7pm EST on Twitch!

Guest Contributors

Angela Floyd

Angela Floyd is a freelance writer and student. She fonds of films with CGI and dreams to be a part of such kind of art.

Katie - Collaborator from Seatup

Katie Porter is an aspiring writer, movie lover, and part of the team at Seatup. In her free time, she enjoys exploring her home state Colorado and plays in women's amateur rugby league.

Previous Contributors

Parker

I'll start with my biggest gamer shame: I've never owned a Nintendo console. Not a one. I did rent a N64 from Blockbuster to play Super Mario 64, though! Despite that shortcoming, I've been playing games as a hobby ever since I could hold a Genesis controller. Even after spending all day at work in front of a computer screen, I'll still come home and often fire up Steam or the Xbox. I love games of most types, but struggle to really get into jRPG games - I'll let Robert and Nick handles those!

When it comes down to it, my favorite games are really broken down into two categories: The ones I can play day after day while still watching Netflix, Hulu or YouTube, and the games I'll play to completion without ever considering splitting my attention with other media. I'm a bit of a serial hobbyist - a jack of all trades, master of none. I've dabbled in homebrewing, music production, firearms, Magic: The Gathering, Warhammer 40K, and sports (even Rugby - and I live in the US?!) just to name a few. But there have been three constants the last few years - video games, board/tabletop games, and craft beer.

Rémi

Father, gamer, weirdo, husband (in no particular order). Started gaming early on (Super Pong!!!), never looked back. Would love to do voice acting for games, but is currently settling for an act of opinion-voicing about them.